The joy of care
by Keisuke Akm
Summary: Shigure come back home totally wasted and Akito is left alone to take care of him.


Hello ! This was a request by an Anon on tumblr, I felt inspirated the moment I've read it. I never say no to some Akigure fluff.

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Akito kept glancing back out at the clock from the corner of her eyes. He was so late and she couldn't fall asleep without him by her side. Although she had tried to roll over and over in the futon, it felt too cold and empty, too unnatural for her. It was useless, she was already too used to his presence beside her every night. She sighed as she switched on the lamp beside the futon and readjusted her sleepwear when she raised up. She had better time to wait for him in the living room since she wasn't going to sleep. She grabbed the first book which was laying around, she didn't care what it will be talking about, she didn't plan to finish it anyway.

The glanced at the room around her, it was so full. She was so used to it that she hadn't noticed how full it was in comparison to before. Full of Shigure's and hers. She sat under the table on the _zabuton_ and looked again at the timer on the converter box TV, 1:15 a.m. She slumped on the table, and played with a petal of rose of the bouquet he had bought her that had fell out of the vase. "You said you would be back before midnight, you liar…" she muttered in a groan, upset.

Shigure had tonight a party with his former colleague writers. She had not minded it at the moment, but now it was bugging her. Why was he invited to begin with, he wasn't even a writer anymore. She grunted and rubbed her cheek against the table to chase that thought. They must have been friends and he probably wanted to see them, it's his right and she was just having bad faith because she was missing him. She internally cringed, conjugal life was inconvenient, being without him always felt unnatural now. As she ran her fingers on the wooden surface of the table, she wondered if he was feeling the same.

"Of course not, other way, he would be already home…" she whispered to herself, before hitting her forehead against the table. With enough force to provoke a 'bump' noise but not enough to hurt her. She hated this feeling as if she was twenty again, fearing that people would leave her, that she would end alone. "Stupid Shigure…" she said. She wondered if she should call him, but she was scared he would tease her afterward, she wouldn't hear the end of it. Her pride forced Akito to wait for him.

She grabbed the book she took earlier and opened the first page. She made a face when she recognized the classical language, she flipped the book and read the cover 'kinkin-sensei dream of splendor', Akito grunted, that's true that Shigure had told her he wanted to re-read his collection of Edo period book. Just her luck, she hated classical language, she was always mixing it with modern. She threw the book away on the table and let her back fall on the floor, her arms out. She lazily turned her head to the TV, 1:23 a.m.

Maybe she should call him. After all, as her wife, she was in her right. He was really late and it's normal she would be worried. And what if he provoked a scandal, he is the husband of the Sohma's chief, her assistant. If he did something fishy, it could tarnish the Sohma's reputation. She stood up and searched for her phone. It's alright, she was just checking him out to know if he hadn't done something wrong. Nothing more, nothing less. He couldn't tease her about her missing him because he will never know. Yeah, it sounded like a good compromise, she told herself.

She had already the finger on the 'call' button when she heard loud noise in the genkan. Adjusting her dressing gown closer, she walked quickly to the piece, ready to welcome her late merry sunshine. The idiot was stumbling around, trying to remove his shoes, his phone against his ear and his tie around his head. Akito closed her eyes, feeling her patience running low. How course the only reason why he was late was because he drank with his old buddies. She rubbed her finger on her temple. "Akitooo, why don' ya answer mee" he whined annoyingly on the phone. "Oh, you'r here, hadn't seeya'" he said and then threw his phone on the floor and took her in his arms tightly. She had to hit him on the shoulder because he was squishing her to much that she thought he would kill her. Where did he hide and those muscles?

"Shigure, do you know what time is it?" she scolded, forcing him to sat when she noticed he still had his shoes on his feet. "And remove them, you're being improper." Shigure smirked, wriggling his eyebrows in a taunting way. "I didnat' remov' them because imma bad guy." Akito rolled her eyes. "Shigure you're not going to enter in the house if you not remove them, I'm warning you." She put her hands on her waist.

"But Akii, I've won" he complained, not helping her starting headache. And he dared to pout, like a child. Akito sighed and sat next to him. "What did you won?" she asked, upset, taking his tie away, so he could have a little bit of his dignity back. "Everythin' " he answered, faltering out as he leant to undo his shoes ties. Akito placed her hands on the strategic places of his back to he wouldn't fall. "The drinkin' contest… and the karaoke…And the wife contest…And"

"The wife contest?" she asked, bewildered. Shigure removed his shoes with hardship and let it on the floor. "Yeaaa, and I've won thank to you, 'cause you're the sexier" He laughed with proudness. "Of course I've won, they had no chance agains' you" she blushed, liking the effect of what Shigure was saying on her ego. "Even now… You're so hot." He added, putting his head on the crook of her shoulder and sliding a hand in her gown. Akito hiccupped in surprise at the sudden warm. She slapped his hand away and he whined.

"You're on tight line Shigure, watch out" Shigure fake gasped and Akito did not saw any difference than when he was sober. "Stay here, I'll get you water." She stood up and he fell ungracefully on the floor. Shigure waved his hand to show he was conscious "I'm alrigh' ". Akito rolled her eyes. She came back with a glass of water and aspirin for his head and found him singing an annoying song. "Here, take it slowly" she explained with care as she kneeled down to give him the glass. She felt like a mom, which was strange because did not she plan to. Actually, the odd thing was the role were inversed. Most of the time, Shigure was the one taking care of her while she was bed sick. She saw him draw his water in one go "Shigure, you draw it as it was beer, no wonder why you're so drunk." Shigure simply laughed and slumped on her, wrapping his arms clumsily around her. The situation was really ridiculous and she couldn't hold back a snicker. "What I am going to do with you?" she said, scratching his scalp lovingly. He eyed her with a stupid look "Your husband?"

She chuckled and kissed him, before regretting the second after "Damnit! Did you smoke?!" He looked like a child caught red-handed "…No?" she frowned "Maybe on' pack?" he stumbled "…Or two?" she pushed him aside without saving her strength and walked away, clearly annoyed. Why did she marry a such stupid, useless man. She was ready to come back into their room when she heard a loud sound in the hallway. She groaned, of course she shouldn't a wasted man, her husband, Shigure Sohma, alone.

She came back and saw him against the wall and a broken vase on the floor. "Are you alright? Did you cut yourself?" she asked worried, rushing by his side and trying to avoid the vase's sharps, she took him by his hands and lead him across the hallway, watching hers man feet so he wouldn't cut himself with the piece of the broken vase. "heehee~ you cam' for me" he commented stupidly. Akito put her hand on his cheek, scowling. "Don't tell me you broke the vase on purpose." He giggled and pulled her closer to him, Akito put her arms slowly around his neck as he rubbed his nose in the crook of her shoulder. "Smell so good" he moaned, stuck her harder. She passed her fingers through his hair, unfortunately she couldn't return the compliment at the moment, she wondered if she could sleep with him laying around with that wonderful scent "Hm…Want to take a shower?"

She felt his hands clumsily downing on the little of her back. He kissed her neck and she felt a shiver. Even drunk he remembered her best places to make her thrill in excitement. "Com' with me?" He tried to said in a charming voice, but the alcohol made him had a stoned tone. Akito couldn't help but laugh, he was so adorable, even if he just broke the vase, made her wait for hours in the futon and had probably showed pictures of her to his friends to win a stupid contest, it was during moment like that she was being aware of how much she loved him.

And she loved the feeling of taking care of somebody. Before entering in this relationship seriously, Akito never gone to the trouble of looking after somebody else, it was always the other way around. Hatori was looking for her health, Kureno for her daily needs and Shigure for her sanity and loneliness. Taking care of somebody who also take care of you equally. The feeling coming from it was wonderful, so much that sometime, she felt like she could cry, feeling lightheaded from the vertigoes it was provoking in her, she felt herself accomplished in it. She wished she would have known the blessing of a healthy relationship before, but she wondered it the cursed people were able to have it. Maybe it was the core of the curse, being in a forever poisonous bond, preventing any healthy relations with anybody.

She stroked his cheek with her thumb "Sure, but let's be quick, it's late." Shigure made her spin around before leaning on her and kissing her with passion. Akito grunted because of the taste of smoke in his mouth. "Don't forget to brush your teeth too" she groaned and took his hand to lead him to the bathroom, leaving the mess for the servant to clean it off the next morning.

Akito didn't had the patience to wait for Shigure to open up his shirt and she unbuttoned it all before taking his belt off, he removed the rest of his clothes by himself. He raised his eyebrows and made an idiotic smile that was probably meant to be a seducing one. "Brush your teeth and we will see if I'm not too tired" she said, knowing very well that tonight they won't do anything, he was too wasted to even stand up properly. Even now, she was behind him, her hands on his back to help him to keep his balance in the front of the mirror. "It tastes baad" he moaned dizzily, toothpaste all over his face. He spitted it all and wiped the paste off with a towel. "Take it" she said, handing him a glass of water to clear his mouth before kissing his cheek and taking a step back to remove her clothe and put it away, making sure it won't be wet.

He came to hug her from behind after he spat the water, putting strategically his hands on her chest. She glared at him "You as hopeless, you know it?" he simply beamed and kissed her. He leaned in, finally enjoying his tongue on hers. She pecked him quickly one last time before stepping back "The shower Shigure…"

"Wash me?" he asked in a low stumbling voice, Akito shook her head uselessly "You are really, really hopeless" but she accepted and sat him on the bathroom stool. He closed his eyes when she opened the warm water valve, leaning his back against hers, the neck on her shoulder. He struggled to keep his eyes open, the mix of alcohol, warm water and her caress on his chest made him sleepy. "soap…" he struggled to say, visibly not able to make long sentence anymore. "I'll do it" she said, wanting to enjoy this feeling. It was not every day she could enjoy her husband being a handsome, hopeless mess and that she could do anything she wanted with him without being teased on. She would have liked a bath after it, but he was already struggling so much to kept himself awake that she hadn't asked and instead, rubbed with great attention his body with the washing cloth, lifting his arm softly to not startle nor hurt him, he had taught her how to show love with tenderness. She felt his chest raise up and down with each one of his breaths and the peaceful heartbeats. He snuggled his nose deeper in her shoulder, shifting for a good position.

What a great feeling it was to have somebody who trust you enough to leave their body with a whole vulnerability without a second thought, happiness they called it. "Too hot?" she asked in a sweet tone, one she used only for him, in their more intimate moment. "Mn it'sokay" he sleepily answered, almost out of conscience and she put one of his wet hair locks behind his ear and admired his gorgeous, sleeping face. She stopped the water and decided that he could clean his hair tomorrow after he sobered up.

She shaken him awake "let's go to the bed." She said, helping him to stood up and dried him with a towel. As he leant into her touch, like a dog when its master pet him, she felt her heart grow fonder and couldn't retain to stood up on her tip-toe to kissing the tip of his nose. He lazily opened an eye "Are we in bed yet?" he mumbled and she just caressed his head "Not yet, just put it on you" she said, showing him a bathrobe. He put it on and took her hand so they walked together in their room. He fell into the futon the moment he saw it. She followed after and put the blanket on their body. She decided that having him by her side felt right and he spooned her, hocking his cheek against her back. She smiled as switch the light off.

Before sleeping, she sensed him kissing her neck and whispering how he loved her, she simply smiled and answered a soft 'me too' when she heard him snoring.

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I hope you all liked this one shot. I couldn't fit it in Expected since it's only Akigure and no Shiki here te-he~

You can comments and kudos if you liked it ! Those are the foil for any writers flame~ Have a nice day


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